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Ollie Bearman says Formula 2 did not prepare him for the physical demands of Formula 1 after making a last-minute Ferrari debut in place of Carlos Sainz at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Bearman said: "On my first run, my neck was gone already. So, I was not really looking forward to that race. And it hurt. Because F2, for me, was easy physically. The neck was not even a factor. Then I did an F1 race, and my neck was everything."
Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel said he is confident Colton Herta will âdo wellâ in his rookie season in the series, even though the American is still adapting after switching from IndyCar to race in F2 with Hitech. Michel said: "Of course, I hope Colton is going to set an example. I really, really hope that he's going to do well this year, and I'm very confident about it, because he's a very, very strong driver. He's a very talented driver. Now, coming from Indy to F2, is different... I'm sure it's a bit surprising, but he's got the talent to do it. I have zero doubt about that. He needs a bit of time to get used to the championship."
Daniel Ricciardo says he only realised how âfar from normalâ a Formula 1 driverâs race-weekend lifestyle was once he stepped away from the sport after leaving RB. Ricciardo said: "I was in the F1 bubble for so long. I got used to how intense the schedule was, the paddock, all of it, and that became normal. But now that I'm outside of it, I'm like 'Oh, that was far from normal'. The schedule was that down to the minute."
Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds said several Formula 1 drivers will attend this weekendâs Monaco double-header and are keen to see the new Gen4 car, which will be on display. Dodds said: "There'll be a lot of them here over the weekend, because we know that â they've asked us to look after them over the weekend, so we will. The ones I speak to are all asking, 'Will we get to see the Gen4 car, right?' So I think it's going to be interesting because they're all intrigued. You can see there's a high level of intrigue... they're all coming to have a look, which is cool for us."
Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss said critics branding the team as backmarkers âdonât know much about Formula 1â, arguing Cadillac has exceeded expectations. Towriss said: "Just seeing the way the team fits in and the respect that we have earned in the paddock with the performance we have brought so far, I think we did exceed a lot of expectations. To those who said, 'You're a backmarker,' I'm saying you don't know much about Formula 1. What this team has been able to achieve in such a short space of time is truly incredible."
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said there is âa lot of frustrationâ to manage at the team and stressed the need to be âreflective of realityâ after a poor start to the season. Krack said: "We are all racers and we don't want to drive at the back of the field. So year on year, you want to improve, but you also have to be reflective of reality. When you see that you have problems, there's no point in being frustrated, but you have to acknowledge that it is a human reaction."
Helmut Marko says Christian Horner was against Red Bullâs decision to promote Max Verstappen after just four races of the 2016 season, when Daniil Kvyat was dropped back to Toro Rosso. Marko said: "Team principal Christian Horner disagreed with promoting Max after just four races in 2016; he was against it. Just as many rivals and critics put me through the wringer and said that Max was still far too young and that this was a dangerous move."
Audi team principal Mattia Binotto said newly appointed racing director Allan McNish has been an âeasy plug-inâ for the team and will represent Audi at races when Binotto is not present. Binotto said: "Being racing director, I can fully trust him because of his experience. Already this morning, he was an easy plug-in in our organisation and that somehow helped me. I'm not there at all races and he is the one that will represent the team when being on track and again, he will do very well. I have no doubt."
Williams team principal James Vowles says the team has completed the engineering work to take weight out of the FW48 but cannot introduce all the new parts at once because of Formula 1âs cost-cap constraints. Vowles said: "Now the importance of that is the next stage, we have to be able to produce those parts. And what I indicated is one of the limitations of the cost cap. And again, the cost cap is a very good thing but the limitation is I simply can't produce all of those bits overnight. We could, but it would have cost us a tremendous amount."
George Russell says his viral âT-poseâ was created by accident during the late-night photo shoot for Formula 1âs 2023 opening titles. Russell said: "So, this was the F1 intro that I did in 2023. It wasn't intentional at all. It was actually out of boredom and tiredness. It was about 11:30 at night. We were on this long photo shoot, and I just put my hands up on the side of the wall, just waiting for my next shot and the producer was like, 'That's pretty cool.'"
Max Verstappen said it was âincredibly toughâ to make it through to the final pole shootout at the NĂźrburgring 24 Hours after he drove in Top Qualifying 2 and needed a top-seven result. Verstappen said: "Our goal was to reach the Top Qualifying 3. That is obviously not easy with the competition out there. It is incredibly tough, there are a lot of fast cars, but we just barely managed to get in between them. So that last lap was just good enough."
Ford Performance director Mark Rushbrook said Fordâs commitment to Formula 1 and its partnership with Red Bull is ânot any single individualâ, even with personnel departures at the team and questions around Max Verstappenâs future. Rushbrook said: "We came to Formula 1 to be in Formula 1 and we chose Red Bull because of who they are as a team, as a culture, not any single individual. And again, we love Max, we love the fact that he's racing in a Red Bull Ford powered vehicle. We would hate to see him leave, but that wouldn't change our commitment to the sport."
Audi F1 CEO and team principal Mattia Binotto says people should not be âso negativeâ about Formula 1âs 2026 regulations, which he believes have delivered a âgreat showâ for fans. Binotto said: "If you look and you watch the races, for the fans it has been a great show as well. Overtaking since the very first race, close fights, which is not obvious when you've got such a big discrepancy in the regulations... Overall, I think it's a good format... So overall, I don't think we should be so negative."
The FIA has confirmed its 2026 Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system for underperforming power unit manufacturers will now begin after the Canadian Grand Prix, after the original first assessment window was disrupted by the cancelled Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds. In an FIA statement, the governing body said the opening analysis period "has therefore been adjusted and is now formed of the season's first five races (Australia, China, Japan, Miami and Canada)", with the results to be communicated "no later than two weeks after the Canadian Grand Prix".
Romain Grosjean said returning to the Enstone-based team in 2012 was difficult because he felt Renault had effectively told people he was not good enough for Formula 1 after dropping him following his seven-race spell at the end of 2009. Grosjean said: "Renault became Lotus, but it was the same engineers, it was the same team manager, it was like, 98% of the people were the same. It was not easy, because you come into a place that they basically told everyone that I wasn't good enough for Formula 1, and then you come back to a place that like, that's what they thought of you."
Amid speculation that Gucci could replace BWT as Alpineâs title sponsor from 2027, with BWTâs current deal thought to expire at the end of this season, Alpine has not confirmed any agreement and said it is âconstantly looking for new partnership opportunities and in contact with a wide range of brands and companies as potential partnersâ, adding that such talks âare however always kept confidential and they are disclosed only when confirmed and agreed by all parties.â
Audi racing director Allan McNish says the team should be judged âat the end of the yearâ after what he described as a mixed start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. McNish said: "I think we've got to remember as well, this is race four for a new team. Sauber was there before, but it's also the integration of the Audi power unit into that system as well. Therefore, judge us at the end of the year."
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